Marketta Gregory never meant to be a columnist. \x34I trained to be a newspaper reporter -- one who tried to her best to be objective. I covered religion for a few years and felt like it was the best job a curious woman like me could ever have.
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Marketta Gregory never meant to be a columnist. \x34I trained to be a newspaper reporter -- one who tried to her best to be objective. I covered religion for a few years and felt like it was the best job a curious woman like me could ever have. Every day I got to listen as people told me about the things that were most important to them, the things that were sacred. But the newspaper industry was changing and few papers could afford to have an army of speciality reporters. So, I moved to cover the suburbs where, as luck would have it, they have plenty of religion, too. Eventually, children came into the picture. One by birth and another two months later by foster care/adoption. I struggled to chase breaking news and be home at a decent hour, so I made the move to what we journalists call the dark side: I took a job in public relations. (Don't worry. I work for a great non-profit, so it's not dark at all.) When I gave my notice at the Rochester (NY) Democrat and Chronicle, the executive editor asked me to consider writing a column on a freelance basis. She didn't want the newspaper to lose touch with its religious sources, and she still wanted consistent faith coverage. I was terrified. It took me about 10 months to get back to her with a solid plan and some sample columns. And so it began, this journey of opening up my heart to strangers.\x34

Need a Bible for a gift? Or maybe you’re looking for something new – something to help you better understand scripture? Well, take a look through our list of suggestions and see if you can find something you like…

(One of my readers said she began studying the Bible as an adult and started out by using a Bible geared toward teens. That seems brilliant to me!)

Probably the most well known in this category is the Adventure Bible. In addition to the regular text, it offers articles, timelines and activities. It’s also available in color now.

Certain people in my household are also looking forward to checking out the Glipit Bible that came out this month. Imagine a Bible that you can cover with lego-like bricks, including a glow-in-the-dark cross… now imagine how excited my almost 6-year-old is!

And for those even a little bit older:

Consider Bible Savvy written by James L. Nicodem, with a forward by Phil Vischer of VeggieTales fame. It is a four-volume set – Epic, Foundation, Context and Walk – that provides a good understanding of the Bible’s storyline and offers real life applications.